Changing the Plans
by RachieFly
Summary: What if a tiger cub joined the other three misfit animals in the Jungle? Simba would become really good friends with the tiger, of course. But sadly, he left to stop Scar before he could be told the tiger was having his cub. Years later, the cub is a full grown liger and he wants some answers. Could this liger, Maalum, change some plans?
1. The Past, Present and Future

Prologue: The Past, Present and Future

* * *

_"A...lion? So...I'm a...tiger...and a lion?" ~Maalum_

* * *

"I love this! Bowling for buzzards!" Pumbaa said, happily.

"It's gets them every time." Timon laughed aloud.

They watched as the vultures they just scared begin to disperse and fly off. Oh, how they loved messing with the vultures.

"Did you get any, Sheeva?"

Timon turned to the tiger cub not far away from them, chasing a few straggler vultures. He laughed as one vulture began pecking at the young tiger's head. She tried unsuccessfully to bite at its feathers.

"I'm gonna get this one."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." She mumbled just before she finally caught the vulture's tail. Immediately the vulture tried to fly off, causing Sheeva to be dragged around.

"Hey Pumbaa, look at this."

Instead of looking, Pumbaa wandered over to the area where the vultures had been gathered. "Uh-oh, hey Timon, you better come look."

Timon looked over and saw something golden brown on the ground, unmoving.

"I think it's still alive."

"Ew." Timon shivered at the thought but walked over to it. "Let's see what we got here."

Curious, Sheeva turned to see what her friends were analyzing. Her lack of attention allowed the vulture she once had a good hold on to be able to escape and he pecked her on the head once more before doing so.

Sheeva rubbed her head but then ran over to join the other two. "What is it?"

She watched as Timon sniffed the unknown animal and then lifted its paw from over its head. To each of their surprise, it was an unconscious lion cub. However, Timon was the only one that shrieked.

"Ah, a lion!" He jumped on Pumbaa's back. "Run Pumbaa! Attack Sheeva!"

Sheeva giggled a bit. "It's just a cub, Timon."

"Yeah, it's just a little lion." Pumbaa agreed, looking him over. "Look at him; he's so cute and all alone…can we keep him?"

"Yeah, can we?" Sheeva asked, getting excited as she circled around the lion cub. Even though he wasn't exactly a tiger, she thought it'd be nice to have another cat around.

"No! Are you two nuts? You're talking about a lion here; lions eat guys like us!"

"Not me." Sheeva smiled cockily.

Timon got off Pumbaa and walked over to Sheeva, treading carefully around the lion cub. "You don't know that for sure! Lions get bigger and maybe he'll be even bigger than you."

"Maybe he'll be on our side!" Pumbaa encouraged.

Timon waved him off. "That's the stupidest thing…hey, wait, I got it! Maybe he'll be on our side! Having a lion around might not be such a bad idea; we'll have protection."

"Good idea, Timon." Pumbaa said with a smile

"Hey, I'm good for protection too." The young tiger said, only to be laughed at by her meerkat friend.

"Not with the way you handled that vulture."

Sheeva rolled her eyes and huffed at his words. After a few seconds, Timon jumped on her back and pull at her ears playfully.

"I'm just playing with you Sheeva; you're good for protection too. I'm just saying, having another cat with us can't hurt."

Sheeva agreed with a nod and smile; she could never stay upset with him for longer than 60 seconds. "Yeah, you're right."

"When am I not?" The meerkat got comfortable on Sheeva's back. "Pumbaa, get the lion and let's go."

The warthog eagerly obeyed and then all four animals were headed back into the jungle. After a 5 minute walk the group of misfit animals came across a small pond. It was there that Timon splashed some water on the lion cub's face. He woke up slowly, looking around as if he'd been asleep for days.

"Are you alright, kid?"

"…I guess so." He answered eventually.

"You nearly died…but I saved you." Timon said, only to receive a glare from Pumbaa. "And Pumbaa helped…a little."

"Thanks for your help." The lion sighed and then began walking away slowly.

"Hey, where you going?" Sheeva asked.

"Nowhere."

The other three animals remained still, watching him walk away slowly.

"Gee, he looks blue." Timon commented.

"I'd say brownish-gold." Pumbaa said, misunderstanding.

"No, I meant he's depressed."

"Oh."

Sheeva rolled her eyes and quickly ran after the lion cub causing the other two to follow.

"Hey, what's eating you?" She asked.

"Nothing; he's at the top of the food chain."

Timon burst into laughter at his own joke but quickly came to a stop when he saw nobody else was laughing.

"So…where are you from?"

"Who cares?" The lion started walking again. "I can't go back."

"So, you're an outcast? Great! So are we!" Timon said as if that was encouraging.

"What'd you do?" Sheeva asked, curious.

"Something terrible…but I don't want to talk about it." He sighed.

"Good, because we don't want to hear about it."

Sheeva and Pumbaa glared at Timon. "What?"

"Anything we can do?" Pumbaa asked, slightly concerned.

"Not unless you can change the past."

"Oh…well, it's times like his where my buddy Timon says 'you have to put your behind in the past'."

Sheeva chuckled. "No Pumbaa, he says you have to put your past behind you."

"Right," He walked over to the sad lion. "look kid, bad things happen and you can't do a thing about it, right?"

"Right."

"Wrong! When the world turns its back on you, you turn your back on the world."

"That's not what I was taught."

Sheeva sat beside the lion. "Well, maybe you need a new lesson."

Timon cleared his throat. "Repeat after me: Hakuna Matata."

"What?"

"Hakuna Matata." Sheeva grinned as she repeated it.

Pumbaa broke it down for him. "Ha-ku-na…Ma-ta-ta."

Still, the young lion looked confused so Timon began to sing as he explained.

"Hakuna Matata…what a wonderful phrase."

"Hakuna Matata…it ain't no passing craze." Pumbaa joined in.

"It means no worries…for the rest of your days." Sheeva sang along too.

Then all three sang together. "It's our problem free…philosophy! Hakuna Matata!"

"Hakuna Matata?" The lion finally repeated.

"Yeah, it's our motto." Sheeva explained.

"What's a motto?"

"Nothing, what's a motto with you?"

They started laughing at Timon's joke this time and the lion began to smile.

"You know, kid, those two words will solve all your problems." Pumbaa encouraged.

"That's right," Timon said. "take Sheeva for example. When she first came to us she was weak, scared and hungry."

"So hungry she tried to eat us." The warthog laughed at the memory.

Timon shushed his friend. "Don't give him any ideas, Pumbaa."

Sheeva chuckled and the lion really looked at her, as if it was the first time he truly noticed her presence.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I made Pumbaa sit on her and she was too weak to do anything about it."

"Hakuna Matata! That's what happened!" Sheeva said, happily.

Pumbaa nodded in agreement. "We showed her that whatever happened in the past is just that; the past."

"And now I have no worries or responsibilities for the rest of my days."

The lion watched as Sheeva carelessly jumped onto a vine and started swinging from it. Then Timon and Pumbaa followed her lead and began having fun.

"What's your name, kid?" Timon asked as he swung from vine to vine.

"Simba."

"Well Simba, sing with us!"

"Hakuna Matata…what a wonderful phrase!" The three misfit animals began singing together. "Hakuna Matata…it ain't no passing craze!"

Simba watched and began moving along with the beat of the song. "It means no worries…for the rest of your days!

"Yeah, sing it, kid." Timon slid next to him.

"It's our problem free," Sheeva and Pumbaa jumped next to them and they all sang together. "philosophy! Hakuna Matata!"

The four animals walked deeper into the jungle, still singing happily. It was the end of the past an start of a new beginning.

* * *

_Years Later: Simba_

"What if I don't want to be Queen one day?"

Simba looked at his daughter, slightly concerned. "That's like saying you don't want to be a lion; it's in your blood…as I am. We are part of each other."

Simba was spending some quality time with Kiara as he usually did but today she seemed more vocal with her opinions and feelings. His daughter sat on a rock, facing the other direction causing him to push her off gently.

"Oof." She landed with a thud and looked up at her smiling father. After a few seconds she smiled too, got up and nuzzled him.

"As you go through life you'll see, there is so much that we don't understand." Simba began singing. "And the only thing we know is that things don't always go as planned.

"But you'll see every day that we'll never turn away…when it seems all your dreams have come undone. We will stand by your side, filled with hope and filled with pride. We are more than we are; we are one."

They walked together by birds, monkeys, antelopes, hippos and other animals, watching as they did things together.

"If there's so much I can be, can I still just be me? The way I am. Can I trust in my own heart or am I just one part…of some big plan?"

"Even those who are gone are with us as we go on. Your journey has only begun. Tears of pain, tears of joy, one thing nothing can destroy is our pride, deep inside we are one."

They walked past some more animals and Simba continued to sing with his daughter, teaching her a little about life. He was more than content with his life in general, he was happy with it. He was the King of Pride Rock, he had Nala and now he had Kiara. Life was perfect. At least he thought it was.

* * *

_Years Later: Sheeva_

"Mom, why do I have to keep getting cleaned? I'm just going to end up getting dirty again."

The young cub tried to escape his mother's grasp but ended up getting pulled right back in the same position.

Sheeva purred as she began to clean her son with her tongue. "Why do you have to keep getting dirty? You're just going to end up getting cleaned again."

The cub rolled his eyes and began trying to get away again. After a few more licks he was able to get loose from his mother.

"Okay, I'm all clean. Now can you tell me the story?"

"What story, Maalum?"

"The story about dad. You said you'd tell me about him today."

"I said that?" Sheeva acted as though she didn't remember.

"Mom…" The cub whined.

"Alright, alright…" She sat down on the jungle ground and got comfortable. "About your father, eh? What do you want to know?"

Maalum grinned and began jumping around. "Was he strong? How'd you meet him? Do I look like him? Where is he? What is-"

Sheeva then cupped her paw over his mouth. "One question at a time, Maalum."

"What was his name?"

"Simba."

"Simba." The cub repeated in awe. "Where is he?"

"I'm not exactly sure…but I don't think he's too far away from the jungle."

"What happened? Why'd he leave?" Maalum finally sat down.

Sheeva exhaled deeply at the bittersweet memory. "He had to go."

"Go where?"

"…go take his place as King."

"King? Dad's a king?"

Sheeva laughed as her son got excited and began jumping around again.

"That means you're a Queen and I'm Prince, right mom?"

Sheeva stopped laughing then but it took Maalum a few minutes to catch on.

"Right, mom?"

"No son, sadly it does not. You're father…has moved on."

Maalum frowned. "What do you mean? He doesn't love us anymore?"

"Maalum…" She started to tell him not to over exaggerate but he kept talking, his voice getting more distressed by the second.

"Why mom? Was it you? Was it me? Did we do something wrong?"

Sheeva pulled him close. "No honey, were just…different from your father."

"Different how?"

Sheeva didn't want to go in depth about the whole situation so she just sighed once more and bit the tuft of the back of his neck. She carried him to a nearby stream and then let him go.

"I'm not thirsty." Her son mumbled.

"Look at yourself, Maalum."

Maalum slowly went to look at his reflection, not sure where she was going with that.

"What about it?"

"Now look at me." She ordered softly.

The young cub obeyed but only to get a confused look on his face.

"Do you see how you look different than me?"

Maalum hadn't truly noticed before and had to look again to make sure. After a few looks, he only became more confused. "Yeah, you're orange and I'm more brown. Is dad brown?"

"Maalum," Sheeva sighed again. "Simba is a lion."

"…a…lion?" He repeated in a voice barely audible. "So…I'm a…tiger…and a lion?"

Sheeva nuzzled him but said nothing. After a few seconds she began walking back over to her original spot. Instead of following, Maalum just stared at his reflection in the stream. He silently regretted asking about his father because now he learned something he wished he hadn't. He was neither a tiger…nor lion…he was both.

"No wonder dad left…"

* * *

_Okay, so I'm trying this story out. It was just an idea but I'm not sure what to make of it so far. I don't really like the title but it's the best I could come up with so far. Tell me your thoughts please. Oh, and Thanks for clicking on my story, I really appreciate it. _


	2. On The Outskirts

Chapter 1: On the Outskirts

* * *

"_How about you call me Butt-Kicker because that's exactly what I'm about to do!" ~Vitani_

* * *

_Memory..._

"_Psst…psst, Sheeva! Wake up!" _

_The tiger Simba was disturbing reluctantly opened her eyes. She then looked at him with slightly irritated eyes; she hated to be woken up in the middle of the night but either Simba didn't notice or he didn't care._

"_Simba…I'm sleeping…"_

"_I know but I can't sleep…wanna wrestle?"_

"_Go wrestle with Pumbaa." She mumbled. _

"_I would but he's asleep."_

"_And I wasn't?"_

"_You aren't now." He grinned._

_Sheeva shook her head. "I'm about be."_

_Simba got on all fours and began circling around her. The tiger watched him with half closed eyes._

"_Are you scared? Don't worry; I won't hurt you…bad." He shook his small but growing mane arrogantly. "Come on Sheeva, I bet you can't pin m-"_

_The lion didn't even get to finish his sentence before Sheeva had him pinned to the ground. Stunned, Simba laid there for a moment trying to replay the situation in his head. _

_Sheeva chuckled as she got off of him. "You asked for it."_

_Eventually Simba came to a conclusion. "You cheated."_

_He watched as the tiger went back to her spot and laid back down. He was about to encourage another round but before he had the chance Sheeva rolled on her back and stared up at the moon._

"_The moon is beautiful tonight."_

_Simba looked up at the full moon and silently agreed with her. All was silent between them for at least 2 minutes before he broke it._

"_You know what I just realized?" Simba asked, getting comfortable. "I don't know anything about your life before the Jungle."_

"_Hakuna Matata, Simba. It doesn't matter." _

"_I know, I know…but I'm just curious now. How'd you meet Timon and Pumbaa?"_

_Sheeva sighed, not because she didn't want to tell him, but because she was still tired. "I was born in a zoo and I escaped."_

_Simba looked at her when she didn't continue. "And?"_

"_And…now I'm here."_

"_There's got to be more…what about your parents? And how'd you get all the way here? Details…"_

"_I stayed in a zoo for what seemed like a short period of my life because my parents escaped from it with me. We made it a good distance away but somehow the humans caught up with us. They captured us but my father made a big commotion, enough for me to escape their nets. He was still caught along with my mother but he told me to keep running no matter what…and that's what I did. Eventually, I stumbled into this jungle and passed out. When I woke up Timon and Pumbaa had found me and we became friends."_

"_After you tried to eat them?"_

"_After I tried to eat them."_

_They laughed to themselves and glanced at the meerkat and warthog that were sleeping not too far away from them._

"_I don't know where I'd be without you guys." Simba thought aloud and began humming their motto song._

_Sheeva joined in his humming and they smiled as they hummed together. When they finished Sheeva chuckled again._

"_So what about you?" She asked, now more awake._

"_What about me?"_

"_How'd you get here?"_

"_You know, I was passed out too and you guys found me."_

"_I meant how did you get in the desert? Why were you there?"_

"_Oh…umm…" Simba paused; he hadn't thought about it for a while and didn't really want to. "…I ran away."_

"_From your pride? Why?"_

"_Something happened."_

"_Obviously." When Sheeva looked at him she softened her expression. "Never mind; you don't have to tell me, Simba."_

_She started to turn back over and try to go back to sleep but Simba stopped her._

"_No, it's not that…it's just…" He sighed and got on all fours. He then proceeded to turn his back to her as if he wasn't worthy of being in her presence. "I killed my father."_

_Sheeva's eyes widened but she said nothing as Simba started to explain right away._

"_I didn't do it on purpose; I was playing in the gorge and a pack of wildebeest came running…hundreds of them…my father saved me…but he didn't make it out of the gorge alive. If only I hadn't been playing there…"_

"_From what it sounds like, you were young and it was an accident; Simba you didn't kill him."_

"_I did…and I ran away…and luckily Timon, Pumbaa and you found me. It doesn't matter anymore, like you said; Hakuna Matata." _

_Sheeva looked concerned. "Simba…"_

"_So there you have it." He turned back to her, a smile once again present on his face. "Anymore you want to know?"_

_She stared at him for a few seconds before shaking her head and turning her attention back to the moon._

"_Then another round?" He bent down into his wrestling position. "And this time no cheati-" _

_Again, Simba found himself not able to finish his sentence because he was already pinned to the ground. Sheeva stood over him, an arrogant look on her face. _

_Simba grinned. "You just love to cheat, don't you?"_

* * *

Maalum stared from a tall tree down at Pride Rock and all the surrounding animals. He watched everything going on but he mainly kept his eyes on the lions, the royal family in particular.

He watched intensively as the King, also known as Simba, also known as his father, walked and talked with Kovu, also known as his brother in law, also known as the King to be. He also saw Kiara, also known as his half-sister and Queen to be, and Nala, also known as the Queen, and also known as his father's mate.

Maalum stared as they went on about their business, none the wiser about his presence. This was exactly the 365th day in a row that he'd gone unnoticed. He didn't care now but in the first week of his spying it struck him as odd since he wasn't going out of the way to hide himself. He'd been there, just lying in that exact same spot on that tree, watching and analyzing for hours. He assumed some animal would come by and question him but nobody did; either they didn't know he was there or they didn't care because he wasn't bothering anything.

Maalum sighed; he was there to watch them but also to sort some things out, more precisely, his feelings. If you asked Maalum, he'd tell you that he wasn't really mad about Kovu becoming the new King; he wouldn't want such a big responsibility anyway. Nor was he mad at Nala for basically taking the role of his mother. He wasn't upset about having a sibling; he actually admired Kiara in a way. And he'd most definitely tell you he didn't feel anything like anger towards Simba. However, he wasn't quite sure if all of that was true…because if it was, what in the world was he doing there?

In actuality, he felt was very indifferent about the whole situation when it came to his life. Being raised in the jungle made him a lazy, quiet, aloof and often indifferent lion. He didn't care about too much; not even being a liger mattered to him anymore. He was different and that's all there was too it; if someone didn't like him, that was their problem. However, no matter how carefree he felt, he couldn't rid himself of the curiosity he felt about his father and what life would be like in the pride. Where would he fit in to it and what exactly would his role be? He thought about these things sometimes…

"Hey!"

Startled, Maalum jumped and fell off the tree limb he was sitting on. Before he got the chance to get up from the ground, a lioness jumped on him, pinning him to the ground.

"Who are you?" She demanded.

Maalum's face gave nothing away but he was a little surprised the lioness was able to pin him. His big frame and stature usually prevented that kind of thing so it was very rare he came across competition. He was also way bigger than her, which meant she was strong. In no rush to answer, he analyzed her features. An odd looking lioness to say the least, but pretty nonetheless. She had electric blue eyes and a head tuft, unlike most of the lionesses he saw. She also had freckles and her fur seemed a little longer and more unkempt than the others.

"I asked you a question."

The edge in her voice told Maalum that she really thought she was in control of this situation. That she really thought she could force him to answer her. That was comical to the liger under her paws; despite the fact that she was able to pin him, Maalum was stronger and bigger by a lot. He could and would throw her off of him any second he wanted to.

She growled. "We don't take too kindly to wandering lions on our turf."

Finally Maalum spoke in a low voice. "First of all, I'm not wandering and secondly, I'm not a lion."

She looked at him as if he was crazy. That's when Maalum quickly lost interest and expressed it with a heavy sigh. He then got from under the lioness without any trouble at all; he simply pushed her off of him. Before the lioness could growl or do anything else she noticed he had stripes on his body, all the way from his upper back to the end of his tail. There were even a few on his face and he had a huge mane. But aside from the stripes, mane and big frame he looked like a regular lion, he had a lion head and bodily shape.

"What are you?" She asked, her voice more curious than anything else.

"I'm a liger; a cross between a lion and tiger." He said in a disinterested voice as he climbed back up the tree.

The lioness looked a little confused but after a few seconds her expression returned to that of earlier.

She growled again. "I don't care what you are. You have no business on our land. Now unless you're prepared to see Simba –the King of Pride Rock- Then I'd suggest you make your way away from here."

Maalum looked at the lioness; she was beginning to get on his nerves. "What's your name?"

"Why?" She snarled.

"So I can call you something other than annoying."

The lioness's ear twitched and she let out a growl. "How about you call me Butt-Kicker because that's exactly what I'm about to do!"

Feisty…and tomboyish from what Maalum could see so far. He'd think many other females would have gone for help or something by now but not this one. She had the guts to talk to him any kind of way and to attack him. She was different…and different was something Maalum knew far too well.

Before he could respond with a comment that would have angered her further, he heard another lioness not too far away. "Vitani!"

The lioness turned to see who called her, which told Maalum that that was her name.

"Vitani? Are you out here?"

"Yes, I'm right here." She smiled smugly at the aloof lion in the tree above.

Another former outlander lioness walked over to her through the thick grass. "What are you doing out here?"

Vitani turned to the other lioness eagerly. "A wanderer lion has appeared."

"Where?" The other lioness got in an offensive position and looked around.

"Right in that…" Vitani's voice faded when she saw that the spot where Maalum sat was empty. "He's gone."

The other lioness let her guard back down. "It was a male?"

Vitani began looking all over. "Yeah, a big one…he was just there."

"Are you sure?"

"I know what I saw."

Maalum walked away slowly, listening to Vitani and the other lioness talk and reluctantly head back closer to Pride Rock. Maalum didn't want to be caught, as stated before his curiosity was the only thing putting him in that tree in the first place, otherwise he couldn't care less. Therefore he didn't want an interaction with Simba or any other lion for that matter. The only reason he spoke to Vitani was because she caught him off guard.

Also she sparked his curiosity too, a very hard thing to do. She was different and it showed in her voice, behavior, and even in her name. What was she even doing that far away from Pride Rock in the first place?

Eventually, Maalum shook it off and decided to head back towards the jungle. It had been a while since he was there, since he literally spent a year on the outskirts of Pride Rock. His mother advised him not to go but, obviously, he didn't take her advice. Instead, he waited for her to leave before he left; Sheeva had decided to take a trip herself. She went to visit the zoo to see if her parents were still there and Maalum hasn't seen her since. It'd be nice to see his mother again, Maalum thought, nice to see someone that would claim him.

Walking at the slow pace he was, it took him a good 40 to 60 minutes to get back to his home. When he finally got there, he immediately made his way to a stream to get water. He laid down as he drank and got comfortable for a few seconds.

"Maalum?" A familiar voice called him.

As soon as Maaalum turned around he was greeted with a giant hug that would've knocked him off his feet if he was on them.

"Maalum!"

"Hello, Fiji." The liger sighed as he was squeezed by a small monkey.

"It's been so long! It felt like 50 years! Why'd you stay so long? How was your trip? Did you miss me? I missed you! Maalum! I was so bored without you!"

Maalum sighed again as his friend went on and on, prancing around happily. That monkey was the closest thing he had to a best friend. Over his years of being raised in the Jungle, Maalum made friends with him. They were exact opposites though; Fiji was an eccentric animal that was talkative and loud while Maalum wasn't. Yet somehow, they got along just fine. Maybe it was the fact that they were both considered outcasts or maybe because they balanced each other out. Who knew?

"Maalum, did you miss me?" Fiji asked as he jumped on the liger again.

"Yes Fiji, I missed you." Maalum said as he pushed the elated monkey off of him.

Fiji climbed a nearby vine and began swinging back and forth. "Good, because I missed you! And your mom missed you too! Why'd you stay gone so long, Maalum? I was so worried and so bored! How was your trip? Did you see your dad? Did you-"

"Fiji," Maalum cut him off. "take me to where my mother is, please."

"Okay! I'm the leader, follow me!"

Fiji swung from vine to vine and tree limb to tree limb while Maalum followed his direction on the ground. He rambled on and on about whatever came to his mind, not cognizant that the liger was toning him out. It took about 5 minutes before Maalum noticed a sleeping tiger in the distance. Without warning, Fiji jumped on Sheeva's back.

"Wake up, Mama Sheeva! Prince finally returned!"

Maalum rolled his eyes at the nick-name Fiji sometimes called him. He started calling him that years ago, ever since Maalum told him that his father was a King.

Sheeva opened her eyes reluctantly and with irritated eyes. "Fiji…"

Her expression changed when she saw the monkey run and jump on Maalum's back, much to the liger's chagrin. Then she got up immediately and walked over to her son.

"Maalum, you've grown…again." She smiled warmly.

"Have you ever stopped to think maybe you've shrunk?" He gave a small smile.

Sheeva nuzzled him. "I missed you. How are you?"

"Fine," Maalum shook the monkey off of his back. "Fiji, I'll go get you later."

The monkey jumped into a tree and threw a piece of fruit at the liger before swinging away. "Ha-ha! Okay Prince, I'll be waiting!"

Maalum glared at his friend and mumbled under his breath as he pushed the fruit away.

Sheeva laughed. "He really missed you."

"I know," He turned his attention back to his mother. "How about you? How are you feeling?"

"Lazy; there isn't much for an old tiger like me to do in the Jungle beside sleep and eat."

"You're not old." Maalum said. "How was your trip?"

"Evidently pointless," Sheeva walked back over to her spot with a sigh. "apparently my mother was transported to a different zoo and my father died not too long ago."

"I'm sorry." Maalum felt bad but he wasn't hurt that much because he never met either of his grandparents. "How long ago did you get back?"

"Months ago…but what about your trip? Did you see Simba?"

Maalum's expression turned to his regular one. "Yes and I saw his mate, his daughter and son in law."

Maalum watched her face to see if it gave away anything regarding her feelings but her expression didn't falter; it remained a tired but happy one. "His daughter and the future King…he's doing well, I see."

"I suppose."

"You don't seem satisfied with your journey. Did you not meet them?"

"I did not; I watched from the outskirts."

Sheeva looked a little surprised then. "Unseen? For a whole year?"

"Until today." Maalum sat down beside her. "A lioness spotted me."

"What happened?"

"Nothing; she wouldn't go get help…she insisted on trying to run me away herself."

"I see she succeeded."

"No, I left because another lioness came and I didn't want to draw too much attention."

Sheeva nodded. "Why didn't you want to speak with your father?"

"You advised me not to."

"I also advised you not to go in the first place, but you did it anyway."

Maalum smiled a little again. "I have nothing to say to him."

"Then why did you go?"

Maalum paused as he thought carefully about how to respond. "…I don't know."

"Yes you do…and so do I."

Maalum didn't respond but stayed quiet as his mother got comfortable on the ground once again.

"You plan on going back?"

"Eventually."

"Well I hope you find the answers you're looking for."

"Me too." He said in a voice barely audible to himself.

* * *

_Thank you for all those epically awesome reviews! They not only made me happy but they also made me want to update quickly. So keep 'em coming because usually I'm not a fast updater, lol. Anyway, Thanks for clicking on/sticking with my story and reading, it's greatly appreciated! Click on the blue link below…__Magical Things Happen If You Do! _Lol


	3. Questions and Answers

Chapter 2: Questions and Answers

* * *

"_Alright, alright! Fine…but if I get eaten, I'm going to give you an earful when I get up there!" ~Rafiki_

* * *

Maalum watched everything taking place at Pride Rock from the same tree he always did. Nothing interesting was happening with any animal in particular so it was slightly boring to the liger. He even found himself scanning the area for Vitani, in hopes that she'd be doing something that could grasp his attention. Unfortunately, he didn't see her which caused him to sigh heavily.

"I came back too soon." He thought out loud.

Then, without his permission, Sheeva's voice began to echo in his head of what she said to him before he left.

"_Be safe, Maalum; don't cause trouble…and don't wait another year before you come back…and even more important, be prepared for the answers you so desperately seek."_

He thought his mother was over exaggerating on the last part when she first said it but now he wasn't so sure. Be prepared for the answers. In what form were the answers to come? And who exactly would be answering his many questions?

Realizing his thoughts were leading to more questions, Maalum rested his head on the tree limb and unsuccessfully attempted to rest. It didn't take long for the liger to figure out he was in a too uncomfortable position to sleep. Then his thoughts drifted to another conversation he had before he left.

"_Can I go? Please, can I go? I want to go, Maalum! Don't leave me again! Mama Sheeva won't talk to me like you do! Please, Maalum, let me go with you!"_

_Fiji's whining droned on, causing Maalum to exhale deeply in annoyance. How many times must he tell him no?_

"_No Fiji, for the umpteenth time. I'm going alone just as before; I don't need company."_

"_Why? Is it because I threw fruit at you? I'm sorry, Prince! I just want to go really bad! Please, don't leave me here; I'll be so bored!" The monkey on the liger's back began begging._

_Maalum didn't respond and continued walking around the Jungle without a true destination. At first he was able to ignore Fiji but after the constant whining got louder in his ears, he couldn't any longer. _

"_Enough Fiji…look, it's not fun anyway. You'll be bored there too. I was in a tree for most of the time just watching everyone."_

"_Is that why you left? Because you were bored and you missed me?"_

_Maalum rolled his eyes. "Yes, that's why I left…and also because a lioness spotted me finally and I didn't want to get caught. So you see, it'll be dangerous for you too. Just stay here and keep my mother company."_

_Maalum was startled when Fiji exploded off of his back and onto a tree above. "A lioness?_ _A lady lion, Maalum? Was she pretty? What's her name? Do you like her? Did you get her phone number? Oh wait…were animals, we don't use phones…"_

_Maalum sighed; he should've known Fiji would get off topic and go into something like that out of everything he said. The monkey rambled on and on until Maalum, once again, couldn't take it any longer._

"_When's the baby due? Is it a girl or boy? Can I be the babysitter? Is the cub-"_

"_Fiji." The liger spoke in a big voice that almost commanded attention._

_The monkey immediately stopped talking and looked at his friend. Then without warning he jumped back onto Maalum's back._

"_Yes, Prince?"_

"_First, stop calling me that; I'm not a prince, not will I ever be. Secondly, you're looking too deep into what I said. I'm not in love with this lioness nor is she going to bare my cubs. I said she spotted me and that is all; I probably won't even see her again."_

"_Maalum, you have a lot of hair. I wish I had a mane; then we'd look like brothers. Fiji and Maalum: Mane Brothers. Doesn't that sound awesome Prince?"_

_The monkey had moved on to a different topic again already. Maalum gave up and shook his head before continuing walking, wondering how he tolerated Fiji all those years._

A small smile tugged at Maalum's lips; despite Fiji's ways, he was still his friend…and a good one at that…well, at least when he wasn't being annoying.

The more the liger began to think, the less he was aware of his surroundings. In a matter of minutes, he found himself startled by a yelling mandrill walking in his direction.

"If you want to tell me something, just tell me! You don't have to take my stick!" The walking monkey yelled as he picked up a large stick with something attached to it that was lying under Maalum's tree.

At first the liger thought the mandrill was talking to him but he quickly learned otherwise. The monkey raised his fist to the wind and shook it angrily.

"Now, what it is you want Rafiki to know?"

Maalum raised his eyebrow and it was then the mandrill noticed Maalum sitting in the tree over him. The mandrill's expression was hard to read right then as it was a cross between too many emotions. However, Maalum was able to spot a little uncertainty amidst the other emotions.

"You wanted to show me him?" The animal asked with a laugh. "A striped lion?"

His reaction puzzled Maalum and he continued to watch him. He watched as the mandrill seemed to be speaking and listening to the lightly blowing wind.

"You want me to what? You want to see Rafiki ripped to shreds?"

The wind blew harder then, hard enough to push the mandrill back a few steps and rustle the tree Maalum was in.

"Alright, alright! Fine…but if I get eaten, I'm going to give you an earful when I get up there!"

Maalum silently debated on his options using the process of elimination. He could move to a different tree, question the monkey or just leave before attention was drawn in his direction. He discarded the second thought first as he was almost positive the mandrill was crazy and therefore wouldn't have anything sane to say. Then Maalum eliminated the last option; he just got there a few hours ago and he wasn't quite ready to leave yet. Besides, the monkey was crazy but he wouldn't cause too much off a commotion, right?

Maalum sighed and prepared himself to go to another tree but he quickly noticed the mandrill was gone. He looked around but only became aware of his presence when he felt a hand on his tail.

"Hmm," The mandrill analyzed his striped tail. "interesting…"

Maalum looked at the Old World monkey incredulously; how did he get behind him? Was he really holding his tail? Just a minute ago, he looked a bit unsure, now he had the guts to touch the liger? Who was this crazy primate?

And all the time it took for these questions to form in the liger's head, it took for the monkey to yank his tail hard and get to safe ground a bit higher in the tree. Maalum let out a roar involuntarily; not only had the yank come unexpectedly but it hurt too. The giant liger turned to face the mandrill angrily but again he was gone. This only served to tick Maalum off more and when he turned back around, guess who was standing in his face.

"He has your growl…but how?" The mandrill spoke aloud.

Fire flashed in the liger's eyes as he stared at the monkey. It took a lot of self-control not to attack him like every fiber of his being was telling him to.

"What do you want?" Maalum demanded in a big voice. "For me to leave? You could've just said that in the first place."

The mandrill grabbed his mane and forced his face closer to his. "You resemble him a little too. No, it is impossible! It can't be…but it is…"

Maalum growled and pulled away from the animal he deemed nuts. He then jumped off the tree for fear that he'd lose the self-control holding him back. He considered still going to another tree but wasn't sure as the monkey might follow him. He grudgingly turned to watch as the mandrill sat down, crossing his legs and nodding with an intent face as if the wind was actually speaking to him. Maalum was unsure why he stood there and watched the animal meditate but he did.

After a minute or so the mandrill stood up, laughing as if he'd just been told the funniest joke in the world. "You're going to change the plans, Mufasa! But I trust you and the Great Kings."

He looked back at Maalum with a smile, only to receive an angry and somewhat puzzled look.

"Are you all there?" The liger asked, referring to mental health.

"No," The monkey jumped off the tree. "but I guess that's something you and I have in common."

Maalum narrowed his eyes, but before he could deny being anything like him, the mandrill had his arm over the liger's giant shoulders.

"Boy, you are going to do some major plan changing! What's your name?"

Maalum pulled away from him again immediately. "What are you talking about? Who are you?"

"I'm Rafiki," The monkey said. "but you really should be asking yourself that question. Do you know who you are?"

"Yes."

Rafiki's eyes widened with delight. "Who?"

Maalum looked the mandrill up and down and finally backed away some more. The animal was obviously crazy (had he been referring to himself in third person earlier?) and Maalum was beginning to question his own sanity for the simple reason that he was still there talking to him. The liger was about to go take a walk, but before he got the chance a stick came down on his head again.

"Ouch!" Maalum roared with frustration.

"Don't lie to Rafiki!" The mandrill yelled at him and brought his stick back. "You're just like your father in a way; you don't know who you are. I had to help him with that too."

Maalum was seriously debating on hurting the animal until he mentioned his father. Then the anger left him and was replaced by interest and surprise. However he kept a poker face, his usual indifferent look plastered on his face.

"You know who my father is?"

"Do you?"

Maalum narrowed his eyes. "Enough with the games, mandrill."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk…the youth nowadays." Rafiki shook his head. "They think that just because their father is Simba and that because they're the first born so their next in line for the throne that they can speak to Rafiki any kind of way."

Maalum's was unable to hide the shock he felt that time. Her stared at Rafiki in awe, watching him laugh like the lunatic he appeared to be. There was so many questions he wanted to ask but the liger was only able to get out one.

"How do you know?"

"How do you think? They told me." Rafiki gestured to the sky.

"Who is 'they'?"

"The Great Kings…" The monkey jabbed him with his stick. "Your ancestors."

Maalum came out of awe immediately then and fixed his expression but continued to stare at the monkey. He never heard of the Great Kings which only served to prove the liger's theory that Rafiki had a few screws loose.

"I don't know how you know so much about me or why you even care…but my father doesn't know I exist and that's the way it's going to stay."

"Not for long; you're going to be changing the plans, remember?"

Maalum narrowed his eyes again. "What do you want? Why are you here?"

"To give you a heads up." Rafiki said with a smile. "But those are two more questions you really should be asking yourself. What do _you _want? Why are _you _here? Those and 'Are you ready for the answers?'"

Maalum just stared at him; he still seemed crazy but it also seemed like he knew more than he should. Rafiki laughed and slowly started back where he came from.

"Rafiki is your friend, remember that!" The mandrill called to him as he climbed a tree and swung off with the stick in his hand.

"Psycho, cryptic monkey…" Maalum mumbled under his breath, watching him go.

Only after Maalum was 100 percent positive Rafiki was long gone did he head back toward the tree. But before he climbed back into it, he decided to change the tree he was in like he planned to do anyway. He walked over to a big tree not far away and got comfortable in it. Not too comfortable though…just in case that mandrill came back…

Not even 5 minutes later, Maalum heard a noise like rustling in the grass. He clenched his teeth, prepared to tell Rafiki where he could go. But, to his surprise, he saw Vitani walking through the grass towards his area instead of the Old World monkey. She hadn't spotted him yet but it almost appeared like she was looking for him. And if she wasn't looking for him, she was looking pretty hard for something. Maalum watched her as she circled around the tree that he was in previously; was she really looking for him?

He found it slightly amusing and watched her a bit longer. He was waiting to see if she was going to spot him but the lioness didn't even seem to be looking in his direction. After a while, the amusement wore off and Maalum went back to watching the events on Pride Rock. It wasn't long after that before he figured she spotted him.

"You!" She growled and stalked over to the tree he was in.

"Vitani."

The lioness looked surprised for a second. "How do you know my name?"

"Lucky guess."

"What are you doing back here?"

"I could ask you the same thing; shouldn't you be doing something productive?"

"I am; I'm getting rid of the trash."

Maalum looked at her with pity and turned back to the other animals.

"I thought I told you to stay off our turf."

"You did tell me that…but I'm not sure what gave you the impression that I'd obey."

"How about the fact that you haven't been back for weeks?"

"This is true; but if you really thought I obeyed then why, pray tell, were you looking for me?"

"Get off your high horse; I wasn't looking for you. I heard a loud growl and I came to see what it was."

Maalum paused in thought; was his roar really that loud? If she heard it, could that mean others heard it too? He didn't want to attract any attention…

"Hey, liger," Vitana called him out of his thoughts. "what were you roaring at anyway?"

"My name is not liger." Maalum corrected her, a bit sharply. "It's Maalum."

"I care so much." The lioness answered sarcastically. "Were you trying to scare something off?"

"You could say that."

"What was it?"

Maalum looked at her for a second. "Why are you so interested?"

Vitani stared at him for a few seconds before lying down next to the tree. Maalum watched her to see if it was a ploy but the lioness remained in that position and didn't look ready to move for a while.

"I'm bored, okay? Everybody's busy and nothing's going on today as you probably saw." She explained. "So just talk to me and I won't tell anyone you're here…today."

"You weren't going to tell anyway."

"You're very arrogant, you know that?"

"And you're not?"

"Not as much as you." She said, getting comfortable. "But anyway, what were you roaring at?"

Maalum debated to himself about telling her the truth; there didn't seem to be any repercussions but he wanted to be sure. He didn't want anything to jeopardize anything about his situation.

"I scratched myself by accident…on the tail."

Vitani burst into laughter but said nothing.

"What's funny about that? I'm sure you've done it before."

"Nope."

"You're lying, of course you have."

"I've never scratched my tail on accident." Vitani chuckled a bit more. "I don't see how that's very possible."

"It's possible." Maalum found a smile tugging on his lips but refused it.

"Yeah right."

Maalum was about to respond but before he did, he heard a rustling of the grass again. But this time it was faint and unintentional, as if someone was trying to sneak up on them. Whoever it was failed because the liger turned immediately to their direction. He caught sight of a lighter, more well-kept, lioness and it didn't take long for him recognize her.

"Kiara?" He said, louder than intended.

"Where?" Vitani looked in the direction he was. "Wait…how did you know…"

When she realized she was spotted, Kiara cursed herself for not practicing her hunting skills more and took off back towards Pride Rock. Maalum cursed himself for not hearing her earlier (he shouldn't have been talking to Vitani in the first place) and jumped off the tree. He had yet another decision to make and this time it was more dire and he didn't have long to decide. He was either going after Kiara or not. There wasn't enough time to think of the benefits and consequences of each action but Maalum knew one thing; if she got back to Simba with the news of an odd looking intruder that would be the end of his visits. And Maalum had too many unanswered questions to let it all end there…

He ran after her.

* * *

_Did you like it? I sure hope so; your opinions matter to me. Thank You for reading my story; I appreciate all of you who clicked on/stuck with this story. Surprise! Click on the blue link below. Two things will either happen; you'll either get the review box or a million dollars will fly out your screen. So if you don't get that million dollars you might as well review since the box is on your screen! ;) _


	4. Too Close for Comfort

Chapter 3: Too Close for Comfort

* * *

_"You'd let me in your Pride? You don't even know me." ~Maalum_

* * *

"Kiara!"

Maalum kept calling her name as he chased after her, but it didn't seem to be helping. Kiara continued to run away with no intentions of stopping. She was much quicker than he thought which served to be a slight problem for Maalum. While he was gifted when it came to power and strength, he lacked a little in the speed category. He never needed to exert that much energy into running before.

"I just want to talk!" he called to her, again to no avail.

The closer they got to Pride Rock, the more dire the situation became. Eventually, Maalum pushed himself to the point where he was not only able to catch up with her, but he was able to go faster too. Before they got too close, he forced Kiara to stop by jumping in front of her and cutting her off.

A scared look came across the lioness's face as she came to a halt. She began to back away from him slowly. Maalum tried to look as nonthreatening as possible as he took a few steps toward her. When the gap between them got to be only a few feet away, Kiara bared her teeth and growled.

"Stop," Maalum said in between deep breaths, "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to talk."

Maalum watched her carefully as he waited for her response. He decided not to move anymore, say or doing anything else that could possibly frighten her. After a few seconds of catching her breath and analyzing, the fear left Kiara's face, but it was replaced with suspicion and confusion.

"What do you want?" she asked, a little hesitant.

Before Maalum could answer her question, he was pounced on without warning. A giant lion wrestled with him and tried to pin him to the ground. Maalum struggled with the lion at first, as they were both around the same size and seemed to have the same amount of power. After a minute or so, Maalum somehow managed to push the other lion off of him.

No serious damage was done to either of them during that brief moment of fighting, but the next round probably wouldn't be said the same about. The two animals glared at each other with bared teeth and prepared to go back at it…until Maalum realized just who the lion was.

"Dad!" Kiara shouted, concerned.

"Kiara are you alright?" Maalum heard Kovu's voice and turned to see him and Nala run to her aid.

Simba roared furiously at Maalum and began circling him. Maalum, on the other hand, backed down immediately; fighting with his father was not the ideal introduction he had in mind for them.

"Who are you and why are you chasing my daughter?" Simba demanded.

Before he could even think of how to respond, Kovu rushed over and growled at him. The once outsider looked ready to fight and began circling Maalum as well. Maalum clenched his teeth in frustration; this day just kept getting better and better.

"Well?" Kovu demanded.

Maalum tried to think quick on his feet, but it wasn't working out for him. How in the world was he supposed to get out of this one? What words could he say to assuage the situation without giving too much information?

"I'm sorry…please forgive me…I just wanted to speak with her…"

"You speak by talking…not by chasing," Kovu said while glaring.

Suddenly, Vitani ran up to the scene and everyone looked at her but Simba, who was still staring Maalum down. The lioness took in the present scenario and then looked like she was about to say something.

"What's going on?" she asked eventually, even though she knew exactly what had happened.

Maalum kept a straight face even though he was wondering why she was playing dumb. Kiara narrowed her eyes, confused as well; she saw Vitani under the tree that Maalum was in, so she had to know what had happened. Why was she acting as if she hadn't?

"Vitani I saw you," Kiara said to her. "You were with him on the outskirts."

Vitani's ear twitched, but her facial expression didn't falter. "I don't know what you're talking about. I was on the outskirts, but I wasn't with him. You must be mistaken."

"So you've never seen him before?" Kovu asked his sister.

"…no," she said, avoiding eye contact with Maalum. She quickly moved back to her previous question. "What happened?"

"He was chasing Kiara," Simba answered, still glowering at him.

"Why were you on the outskirts anyway?" Kovu pushed, still focusing on his sister.

Vitani showed more emotion then, she looked irritated suddenly. "Does it matter? An intruder is chasing Kiara and you're questioning me?"

Kovu watched his sister a little longer; that was normal Vitani, but still, she looked as if she was hiding something. He decided that he would ask her about it later, before turning his attention back to Maalum.

"This lion was chasing Kiara and were getting answers," Kovu confirmed Simba's answer.

Vitani spoke again, "He's not a lion…I mean he doesn't look like one."

Kovu arched his eyebrows in confusion as did the other three lions. It was then that Kovu and Simba truly analyzed Maalum instead of just seeing him as a threat. They looked even more confused when they saw his stripes and big frame. They had never seen any animal like him before.

"What are you?" Simba asked after a minute.

Maalum shut his eyes for a few seconds, wishing Vitani didn't bring their attention to that. "I'm a liger…it is a cross between a lion and a tiger."

"What are you doing here? What do you want with my daughter?"

Maalum didn't answer.

"Well?" Kovu pushed.

"I…thought she was someone else."

"But you called me by name."

Vitani looked at Maalum then, also curious as to how he knew her name.

"Who are you?" Simba bellowed.

Maalum looked around, trying to grasp at any thought or option that came to mind. Eventually his sight stopped on Nala, the confused and unknowing mother. She was looking at him intensively, as was everyone else. He couldn't possibly tell the truth…but what else could he say?

"My name is Maalum and…and I was looking for a pride. I was abandoned as a child because of what I am. I don't have anywhere to live, so I just stayed on the outskirts. I know Kiara's name because I've been here for a while. When she saw me, she looked scared and ran away. I didn't want her to get the wrong impression and think I was a threat or anything like that, so I went after her to talk." He dropped his head and let out a heavy sigh.

Even though, he wasn't telling the truth, the sigh was genuine. Maalum was genuinely relieved that he was able to think of something to tell them, rather than to tell the truth. It wasn't the best possible thing he could've said, but it would have to do. With any luck, they wouldn't question him anymore and just let him go.

Everything was silent for a long moment and eventually, Maalum looked back up. Kovu was the only one that still looked suspicious. The rest of them looked more understanding, especially Simba, much to Maalum's surprise.

"I'm sorry," the liger continued and started to back away slowly. "I'll leave. You won't see me ever again."

Maalum turned away completely and started walking. He would go home next and that would be the end of his journey. He would never see his father or the others again. The thought saddened him, but at least he wouldn't have ruined anything.

"Wait," Simba called to him suddenly, causing the liger to stop and turn to him. "Don't go. I understand how you feel; two of my best friends were outcasts. But just because you're different doesn't mean that you deserve to be treated differently."

That last line caught Maalum off guard, because it applied to him, despite the lie. Just because you're different doesn't mean you deserve to be treated differently. Not everybody thought that way.

"You said you were looking for a Pride? That could be arranged," he continued.

Maalum looked surprised. "You'd let me in your Pride? You don't even know me."

"Yeah, he has a point," Kovu said as he looked at Simba.

"Like I said, just because he's different doesn't mean he deserves to be alone and shunned. You should know this Kovu."

Kovu looked down for a moment and then nodded. "You're right…but we still should be wise about these kinds of things."

Simba could understand Kovu's suspicion and even appreciated it; that kind of precaution would come in handy down the line. However, he knew just by Maalum's confession and a good once over that the liger wouldn't be a problem. He felt a strange closeness to him that he couldn't explain. It was more than understanding and empathy…it was almost like he'd stared into those eyes before…

Maalum turned away under Simba's heavy gaze. "Look Maalum, I don't have to know you to know that you're not a bad guy. You didn't deserve to be abandoned then, and I'm not going to abandon you now. You can stay here."

Maalum felt appreciation for his father's words, but guilt at the same time. He didn't want to lie to him…but would he have said the same thing if he told the truth?

Simba continued, "But there are rules you're going to have to learn and follow. Kovu also has a point; while I don't think you have any bad intentions, you're going to have to earn our trust. In the meantime, you'll need an aid to show you around and such. I think Vitani can do that."

Vitani's eyebrows shot up. "Why me?"

"All the other lionesses are out hunting. Besides, this will keep you off the outskirts." He glanced at her, allowing her to see his disapproval. "It's only for a little while."

Vitani mumbled something under her breath; she didn't want to play babysitter, especially to Maalum. But she didn't have a choice, so she turned away submissively.

"Fine."

Simba gave Maalum a smile then. "So what do you say? Do we have a plan?"

Maalum hesitated for a moment, extremely internally conflicted.

Of course, he had to say yes to keep up his lie…but he felt himself wanting to say yes for another reason. The fact that they were all so willing to accept him for differences. And it was that reason that he knew he should say no. This was a lie and they wouldn't have said the same had he told the truth. He was walking on the thin line of dangerous territory; he couldn't let his heart lead his head. He was usually pretty good at controlling that, but he didn't know how good he'd be now that he was this close to his father.

"Yes," he forced out. "Thank you."

Simba nodded and then proceeded to walk over to his daughter, making sure she was alright. Afterward, he started back to Pride Rock. Nala and Kiara gave Maalum one last look before following Simba. Vitani wasted no time and followed the other's lead.

Kovu watched Maalum for a minute. "What'd you say your name was?"

"Maalum."

"Well Maalum, I'm Kovu…next in line to be the King. Kiara is my mate. Don't forget it."

With that, Kovu started after the group, leaving Maalum behind. Maalum wouldn't have been fazed by that in any other situation, but in this case he was. He was a little too close for comfort now. He remained still for a moment, looking back at the outskirts he wished he could return to. He knew he wouldn't be back on them for a long time though, if at all. Just one slip up and he'd gotten himself in deeper than he wanted. When he finally started walking, he glanced at the tree he'd ran from. Maalum could've sworn he saw Rafiki smiling at him. It looked like some plans were changed, after all.

* * *

_I feel like this chapter was kind of short, and I apologize for that. I also apologize for the wait. Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this update. If you liked it, tell me! If you have criticism, tell me! I want to know; I'm always trying to improve on my writing for you readers. Thanks again!_


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